


The Light Of My Life

by inthequeensenglish



Category: Layton Kyouju Series | Professor Layton Series
Genre: Angst bc you know, F/M, Fluff, actually forget the what if bronevs stayed together, idk what I'm doing with this, just a bronev au
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-02
Updated: 2016-11-06
Packaged: 2018-08-12 12:23:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7934488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inthequeensenglish/pseuds/inthequeensenglish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The memories of a family torn apart by tragedy. A son who most take care of his younger brother and stay strong. A father brainwashed by a corporation with the wrong ideals and too much power. A mother whose spirit connect and guide them. Major Azran Legacy spoilers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Birthday, Pt. 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first multi-chapter fanfiction, yaay! Please feel free to comment, and leave constructive critcism! I love to get tips, especially when they come from people who have actually read my stories! Anyways, obvious Azran Legacy spoilers, this is part of an AU, and unfortunately, I do not own the Professor Layton series.

“Happy birthday, Theo!” “Alles Gute zum Geburtstag!“ A very happy birthday indeed. The boy’s smiled shined brightly and soon everyone was infected by his silly, childish smile. His mother picked the boy up, running around with him on her back. The boy giggled endlessly as her mother put him down on the ground and walked with him towards the kitchen.  
He gasped. “Strawberry pancakes! Mum, you made my favorite!“ He hugged her tightly, his smile brightening as the minutes passed.  
“Of course, liebling. It’s your special day. Nothing can spoil my baby’s special day. 5! You’re so old!“  
Theodore blushed and puffed his cheeks out. Both of his parents fell into a laughing fit.  
“Oh, my boy, you’ll be fine. You’ll grow up to be great, I just know it. Now, come on, let’s wake your brother up.“ His father, Leon, told him, taking his hand and walking with him to the room he shared with his elder brother.  
“Hershel!“ He cried in his childish accent. “Wake up! Today’s my birthday, Hersh!“  
The 9 year-old groaned, but he could not resist the urge to smile at his boy’s innocent, cheery demeanor.  
“Yes, I saw! I didn’t forget, Theo! How could I forget it?“ The boys laughed, knowing that Hershel had a tendency to be wrapped up in his thoughts, so much that he would forget even the simplest of details.  
The entire family now all together, they changed clothes to prepare for the amazing day ahead. After putting on snow boots and a parka, Hershel tied up his own brother’s shoes and tied a scarf around his neck.  
“There we go! Are you ready? Let’s go on an adventure!“  
The younger’s eyes brightened and he ran off towards the parlor, his boots stomping and somehow propelling him further.  
“Mum! Dad! Come on, let’s go!“ “Father! The snow is already melting! We’re going to have to pack our swimsuits if we don’t hurry!“ “Yeah, what he said! Da-ad!“  
If there was something the Bronev boys excelled at, it was impatience.  
Leon groaned. He kissed his wife goodbye and asked:  
“Are you sure you don’t want to come?“  
Rachel looked uncomfortable. „“Yes, Leon, I’m sure. I...I don’t want to risk, you know, what happened...?“ Her voice faded and tears began to stream down her flushed cheeks. He hated seeing her like this.  
“No, my dear, it’s fine, here, you can stay. We’ll be not long.“ He kissed her bitter, tear-stained cheek and smiled.  
“I love you, my Rachel. You are the light of my life. Even if you flicker, I hope I can be the match and reignite your flame.“  
The boys who stood by the door resonated a chorus of ewwww’s and awww’s.  
“And I love you boys too.“


	2. A Memory Of Times Past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After their parents are taken away from the abruptly, Hershel tries to calm Theodore by telling him a story of long ago.

He was sure that no one cared about him. He’d been crying all night, his tired body drifting into sleep in the midst of bawling. He could cry all day, and no one would offer a tissue, some tea, anything to comfort him. There was only him, his brother, and the cold, dark, empty house. 

Groggily, he stumbled his way to the kitchen. The lights turned off, the only dim source of light was the sun, now faint from the dark clouds covering it. He could feel the horrid feeling of sadness in his chest, and a cry arose from his throat. Footsteps lightly echoed through the hall, but he did not notice.

“Hershel… I’m hungry…” The boy composed himself in front of his younger brother, Theodore. How could he let himself feel weak in front of his brother, only seven years old, who needed to feel hope more than he did? He let out an awkward smile for him.

“Yes, Theo. What do you want? Sit down, I’ll make you whatever you want—“

“Father and Mum are never coming back, are they?” Hershel said, a serious look on his face. His eyes, black and full of tears, revealed the fragile boy he still was. But no one could blame them. They were two young boys, their parents abruptly taken from them, the future very, very dim and uncertain. 

Hershel had to comfort him, but lie about it? Theodore was not ignorant, he knew the truth. But did the boy want words of truth or kindness?

“I can’t promise you that we’ll be reunited with them but… we’ll always be together, right? We’ll go on all sorts of adventures! Won’t we, Theo? Theo…? Don’t cry, please!”  
But it was too late. Tears streamed down his cheeks, the latter flushed in contrast to his pale face. Hershel, shaken himself, could not find how to calm the boy, and tried to entice him with the promise of food.

“I’ll make some waffles, huh? Do you like that? With some strawberries and sugar, just like you like, yeah, yeah! Please stop crying, Theo, I can’t do this, I can’t, you have got to stop crying!” The boy was irritated and snapped, letting the glass bowl fall down.

“Stop crying, you… you baby! Do you think you’re the only one who’s sad? The only one who wants to cry? I loved them too! But now they’re gone! We’re going to find them, but right now, they’re gone and you have to stop crying and being such a baby!” He stopped himself, knowing that if he said anything else that he would have hurt his brother. “Theodore…”

Deadly silence. The younger had run off. “Theo!” He let the bowl fall off the counter and to the ground, breaking it. He could deal with that later, he had to find his brother first. Where could he have gone now?

He checked the parlor first. Staying longer than he should have, he admired the many photos that had been arranged in many stools and tables. Photos of his parents arriving to England, their marriage, photos of their grandparents, his father’s archaeological expeditions, everything was captured in time with photography. The TV, with its sleek wooden frame and beige knobs, sat in the front of the living room. He remembered how impressed everyone had been with the new TV. Did his parents have one wherever they were? No, he had to stop thinking about them, his main priority was finding his brother. Hershel called out for him, but no one responded. 

Upstairs, it was then. He entered his brother’s room. It still resembled a nursery, but the bed was now bigger, and the “baby-ish” decorations of blue and animals had been replaced with orange, airplanes and cars. He checked the bed, the closet, under the chair and between the cabinets.

“Look, I’m sorry, Theo! Where are you?” He frowned; there was still no sign of him. “If you think this is a joke, it’s not! Please, come out!”

His room was locked, so there was no way Theodore was in there. Just in case, he checked his pocket for the key. It was still there. He was starting to get annoyed. How could he run off like that, a day after that terrible incident? He knew he had wronged him, he shouldn’t have lashed out at him, but… No, it was his blame only. His brother was probably scared of him and felt worse than him. How could he let his temper get ahold of him like that? Instead of letting the poor boy cry for his parents, he had to put him down…

Feeling guilty, he walked through everywhere inside the house, and there was no sign of Theodore. That meant he must have gone outside. To confirm his suspicions, the back door had been left half open. How had he not noticed that earlier? 

Their mother’s garden still thrived after a day. It was simple, some roses and violets and the like, but still it managed to exert a peaceful and relaxing atmosphere. The perfect place for an angered, traumatized boy to hide, perhaps…?

Theodore had been hidden in between the bushes, his pyjamas now beyond a simple wash. Dirt and tears caked his face and hands.

“…Hey, Theo. Can I talk to you?”

He didn’t say anything, but Hershel sat down beside him, careful not to ruin his clothes with the dirt or the thorns of the nearby rose bush.  
“When I was your age, Father took us to the fair. Well, you were still in Mum’s belly, but you get it, right? Well, I got lost in that fair. I don’t really remember, but there were just so many things to do, like rollercoasters and merry-go-rounds and cotton candy stands.” Theodore stopped crying and looked up, his eyes glimmering with the childish wonder one gets from stories. 

“But then I realized that Mum and Father were nowhere near me! I started to cry, everything felt hopeless… I didn’t know what to do, so I curled up right there in the middle of the crowd and just bawled my eyes out. But, do you know what happened next?”

He shook his head, and Hershel smiled. He knew that his brother could not resist a good story. He had him in the palm of his hand.  
“Father came! He picked me up in his arms and threw me up, like he did to you when you were little. Now I know that even when everything seems hopeless, things can still turn out for the better. And they will…” 

But what did he know? He was young and ignorant, wanting to comfort his brother. He knew no better than to raise his hopes up, even when his heart he knew… knew that nothing would ever be the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally...a chapter. I think I work better when I'm ill lmao. Anyways, enjoy?


	3. Taken Away Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It seemed he was destined to never live life without the grasp of Targent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't posted anything in forever, I've been busy and procrastinating, sooo here you go. Btw, this is violent, imo, and describes a kidnapping, so, just in case.

He felt numb, in every sense of the word. He couldn’t think of anything, he couldn’t react in any way, he just stood in the middle of the parlor. His mind was completely blank and he couldn’t snap out of it.

_ “Hanna! No, please don’t do this…! Please, I’ll do anything, stop, stop this! Take me! Shoot me here, just---” _

_ Someone placed his hand over his mouth and another grabbed his arms, twisted them horribly until he fell to the ground. _

_ “You thought you could escape your fate, did you, boy? How hilarious. Don’t worry. We’ll just take the remnants of your fake life away. Unless you wish to join us? Do what we told you to do in the first place?!” _

_ He felt like throwing up. His face was pale, and he tried to turn away from the scene in front of him. _

_ Knives held to their throats, his wife and daughter stood in front of him, who was on his knees, held down by the threat of a gun. _

_ “Desmond, don’t listen to them.” _

_ That made him snap, and his mind went blank. He didn’t know what to do, he couldn’t do anything. And so, chaos unleashed.  _

_ The gunman kept pushing him, barking: _

_ “Well? Are you so dumb that you will give the innocent lives of those you love just because you will not accept your fate?” _

_ And because he did not answer, they dragged his loved ones away. His daughter screamed, she kicked them, and they just kept pulling her away as the gunman pressed the muzzle of his gun into his head. He was reminded that he could do nothing. _

_ The gunman, who seemed to enjoy doing this, pushed him to the ground and left him there. They ran off on their motorcycles, never to be seen again.  _

He would never see his wife and daughter again. Life was so bleak, empty, without them. What was he to do? 

What a fool he was. He did nothing to defend his innocent daughter and wife. He was a coward, that was all he was. Dazed and in pain, he called the only person he knew could help him.

"Hershel. I... They came.... They took them away."

He knew what he meant, and in that moment of helpless terror and sorrow, they cried into the telephone.


End file.
